Right Here Waiting
by Hiei's Rose
Summary: Thiefshipping AU: Fate pulls Marik and Bakura apart. Can they fight the odds and find each other again? Xx
1. Chapter 1

Marik Ishtar had a bright smile on his face as he walked to the bus stop. His lilac eyes shone brightly in anticipation for his first day of high school. His older siblings, Ishizu and Rishid had waved him off as he left in the morning, his sister reminding him to make friends and his adopted brother offering to give him a ride, once again. For the week leading up to this day, Ishizu had been lecturing him about where to sit, how early to be to class and the kinds of people who he should pick as his friends. Rishid had been more concerned about his brother, reminding Marik that he was always a mere phone call away, and that he would come and pick him up whenever he needed it.

As Marik approached the bus stop, he saw that there was already someone there. The boy had long white hair that was rather spiky and stuck out in wing-like shapes. At first Marik thought his eyes were red, but when he took a closer look, he realised that they were actually a deep shade of brown. His skin was a pale white, making him look alluring and mysterious. The stranger heard Marik approaching, and turned to glare at him before turning his head back in the other direction.

'_I can tell by that uniform that he goes to Domino High as well… I really want to talk to him and ask what school is like,' _Marik thought_, 'I never got to go to school back in Egypt. Except, he doesn't look very friendly. In fact, he looks like the exact sort of person who Ishizu told me to stay away from. He's definitely a lot older than I am, so he probably won't even want to talk to me… But I can't help it! I'm so excited for school!_

"Hi! My name is Marik Ishtar and I'm twelve years old," Marik started, "I'm going to be in Grade Eight at Domino High this year. You could probably tell by my uniform, seems it's the same as yours which means that you go to Domino High too… which um, you already knew. So what's your name? What grade are you in? Do you like school? Is it fun? Are you –?"

Marik was quickly silenced by one glare from the stranger who had turned his head towards him. The cold, emotionless expression of the strange pale boy had the Egyptian scared, until he regained his composure and looked towards the stranger expectantly.

"Are you going to answer me?" The tanned boy filled in the silence.

"I hate to break it to you, but I don't make a habit out of telling annoying pipsqueaks my whole bloody life story," came the reply.

Marik was unfazed by the cold tone of the older teen, continuing his line of questioning.

"Can you at least tell me your name?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

"It's just a name! What's the big deal? Is it a really embarrassing name? Oh, I bet it's a girl's name! I wouldn't be surprised if your parents thought you were a girl, with all that long hair."

"I wasn't born with hair this long, dumbass."

"Come on just tell me!"

The older teen paused before asking, "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Not until I get what I want and believe me, I always do." Marik smiled, knowing he had won.

The pale teen studied the Egyptian before silently admitting defeat. He supposed if he answered this one question, the younger boy would leave him alone.

"Fine. If you absolutely must know, my name is Bakura Touzouku."

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it? How old are you? What grade are you in?"

The albino rolled his eyes, so much for that idea, yet he still answered. "I'm seventeen and I'm in grade twelve."

"Oh, okay! Um, what's Domino High like?"

"Honestly? It's a total shit-hole. The classes are boring, the teachers are uneducated and the cafeteria food sucks."

"But surely spending the whole day with your friends makes it ok, right?"

Bakura shook his head at the naivety of the boy, "I don't have any friends. And before you ask, it's because I don't think anyone is worth me wasting my time on."

Marik pondered this until a thought occurred to him. "If you don't think anyone is worth your time, then why are you bothering to answer my questions?"

Bakura didn't answer, choosing to observe the young boy instead. He was definitely beautiful, although the word did no justice to the captivating looks of the boy before him. His sandy blonde locks framed his perfect, tanned heart-shaped face. What intrigued Bakura the most was the young boy's eyes. They were a mesmerizing shade of purple and like everything else about the boy, screamed unique.

'_He's definitely going to be popular with those brainless girls at our pathetic excuse for a school,' _Bakura thought, _'although with that comes a whole lot of jealous dicks. Short stuff is probably going to end up with his head down the toilet by lunch time.'_

As he thought that, a strange feeling came over the albino. He felt like he needed to protect this boy and to shield him from any harm. It was as if any harm that came to Marik would also hurt him. But why? How could a boy he had met a mere ten minutes ago cause him to feel this way?

Bakura's inner turmoil was interrupted by the arrival of the bus. He boarded, chucking his money at the driver before making his way down to the back of the bus. He was halfway down before he heard the voice of the bus driver, causing him to spin around.

"I'm sorry son, but if you don't have the money I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to step off the bus."

The pale youth could see the panic in the beautiful eyes of the Egyptian as he frantically searched his bag.

"I swear my money was in here," Marik cried, "please let me on, I have no other way of getting to school!"

The bus driver looked at him with sympathetic eyes but nonetheless replied, "There's nothing I can do. Please –"

"Oh shut the fuck up. I'll pay for him, so just drive the bloody bus already you old bastard."

Marik whirled around to see Bakura glaring down at the bus driver. Said albino tossed the extra money at the bus driver before grabbing Marik by the wrist and leading him down the aisle.

"T-thank y-you Bakura," Marik stammered, a grateful smile crossing his face.

"Don't mention it short stuff, just pay me back when you can. Newbie's sit up the front, you don't want to piss off the older kids."

With that Bakura let go of Marik's wrist and took his usual seat at the very back of the bus. For the rest of the trip, one thought circled around in his mind.

'When the bloody hell did I become so… nice?'

~The Next Morning~

Bakura immediately noticed that there was something different about blonde the second he saw him. Yesterday he had been walking with his head held high, his lilac eyes' shining whereas today his head hung low and his face was covered by sandy bangs. Marik went straight to Bakura and held out the money he owed him. The albino's eyes narrowed in suspicion as Marik refused to look anywhere but the ground.

Instead of grabbing the money, Bakura grabbed the tanned boys' wrist and pulled him closer; using his other hand to gently lift up Marik's chin so the he had no choice but to look at him. The albino frowned as he took in the sight of the gash on Marik's cheek. It was a deep cut, and there was dark bruising all around the area.

"What happened?"

Bakura was surprised as he heard his own voice. It was unsteady, containing a barely suppressed anger.

"It's f-fine," Marik stammered, "really, it's n-no big d-deal. Honestly it's n-nothing."

"Oh yes, because a large cut across your cheek is obviously nothing," sneered the British teen.

"Why do you even care? I don't know you! Hell, you don't even know me! It's none of your business so just back off and leave me alone!"

The albino pulled away from the smaller youth and sat at the end of the seat.

'_He's right,' _Bakura thought, _'why the hell do I even care? I don't give a shit about anyone, except for maybe Ryou, yet for some reason the idea of someone hurting short stuff fills me with anger. Maybe it's because he's so small. Except, he's definitely not weak – he somehow managed to not be intimidated by me. I've got to admire his spirit, that's probably why I feel this way – he reminds me of myself when I was his age, just… more feminine.'_

'_Did I upset him? I didn't mean to,' _thought Marik, _'I just don't want anyone to know. Rishid and Ishizu would tell the school and everyone would think I'm a loser. I don't understand why Bakura cares; we don't really know each other. But… I want to know him! I don't know why, but I feel close to him and I like seeing him.'_

"Do you have any siblings?"

The older teen turned to face the blonde. "I thought I answered your stupid questions yesterday."

"Those were yesterday's questions," Marik replied, "but you made me realize that I don't know you… but I want to, so I'll keep asking questions until I'm satisfied that I know you well enough."

"I'll answer your questions, on the condition that you answer mine."

"It's a deal! So do you have any siblings?"

Bakura laughed at the tanned boys' persistence. "I have a twin brother, Ryou and a little sister Amane. What about you?"

"Wait! If you have a twin brother then why doesn't he catch the bus with you?"

"Hey," the pale one replied, "that isn't exactly fair. You have to answer my question first."

"Oh. Well, I have an older sister Ishizu and two older brothers, Rishid and… um…"

The older boy immediately sensed that this was a touchy subject for the Egyptian, and didn't want to make the boy upset.

"Gotten kicked out of any classes yet?"

Marik smiled up at Bakura, knowing that he had changed the subject on purpose. "No, Ishizu would kill me. My classes are okay I guess," the Egyptian paused, his lips forming a devious smirk, "My FRIENDS make them a whole lot better."

"Is that right?" Bakura returned the smirk, however his was truly wicked in a way that Marik's could never hope to be.

"Yes. They're in all of my classes. Joey is really funny and he's always goofing off with Tristan. Anzu is really enthusiastic and sweet, Duke is also funny and Yugi is totally nice and friendly. Yeah, my FRIENDS make all my classes fun. Boy am I glad I have my FRIENDS. Life is great with my FRIENDS."

"Yeah yeah, you made your point short stuff."

"Well maybe if you had some friends you wouldn't be so grumpy, 'Kura."

"On the contrary, if I had bloody friends I'd be even grumpier because there's not a single person on this bloody planet that doesn't annoy me, except you and Ryou. And what the bloody hell did you just call me?"

"I'm really one of the only two people that you can stand? And I've decided that since you call me short stuff, that I'm going to call you 'Kura."

"Listen here, if you think you can get away with calling me –"

"You're nickname is 'Kura, nothing will change that no matter what you say."

'_He's got guts, standing up to me like that… Most people are too scared to even approach me, yet this kid has no problems talking to me. It makes me… happy. He's trying to find out about me and get to know me. No one else but Ryou actually gives a shit. My teachers have stopped cared that I don't do my work, no one in any of my classes bother me and my bastard of a father hasn't been in contact for years. But short stuff genuinely seems to care.'_

"You're a feisty little thing, aren't you?" Bakura quipped.

"I'm not little. And as I've told you before, I don't take no for an answer. Which reminds me, why do you only care about me and your twin? What about your sister and your parents?"

"I scare the shit out of my sister, my mother doesn't want anything to do with me and my father moved to Egypt a few years ago. He hasn't been in touch since."

"I moved to Japan from Egypt three months ago!"

'_That explains his complexion.' _"Well," the albino said, "what about your parents? You haven't mentioned them."

The tanned boy looked at him feet and started to twirl his hair around his finger. "Oh, um… they… they're dead."

Marik looked up as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Lilac eyes met mahogany.

"You'll be okay short stuff," the older teen reassured, "you have your older siblings right? And I'll be looking out for you."

"Thank you, Bakura."

"Don't mention it. Seriously. I have a reputation to uphold."

"If you say so, tough guy," replied Marik.

Bakura turned and gave the boy a rare smile.

"And don't you forget it."

**~ The last day of first semester~ (Four months later)**

"What are you doing for the holidays?" Marik asked the older teen beside him.

"Tomorrow my family and I are flying to Britain to visit my mother's family. Bunch of wankers, I think I'd rather be at school, and that's saying something."

"Oh…"

The older of the two looked over at the other. Marik was twirling his hair around his finger, something Bakura had come to recognize as a nervous habit.

"Alright, start talking short stuff. What's the problem?"

"It's just… You're flying to Britain. I don't like heights, and planes go really high and what if the plane crashes then you could die and I don't want you to die! Everyone I care about leaves me, my parents, my friends from Egypt, my older brother! I don't want you to leave me!"

Tears had started to stream down the now thirteen year olds face. Bakura couldn't stand to see the boy looking like this, so he did something he had never done before – he wrapped his arms around the Egyptian and held him close to his chest.

The two sat there for a while before Bakura broke the silence.

"I won't leave you, so you don't need to worry. I promise."

"But how can you be sure?"

Bakura released the boy and placed something around his neck. Marik looked down at the object resting on his chest, his violet eyes widening in shock.

"You can't seriously be giving me your Millennium Ring," exclaimed Marik, "you told me it's your most treasured possession!"

"Relax short stuff, I just want you to hold on to it for me," Bakura calmly replied, "so that when I come back from Britain, which I will, you can give it back to me."

The young Egyptian gave Bakura a stunning smile, "I know you'll definitely come back for your Millennium Ring."

"Silly boy. I'd come back for you anyway, the ring is just to reassure you. It's you I'm coming back for."

Marik looked up at Bakura, but the taller teen wouldn't look at him, instead inspecting his fingernails. The tanned boy wrapped his arms around Bakura's waist.

"I'll be right here waiting for you to come back, 'Kura," Marik said before releasing the albino.

The bus pulled up and the two boys parted. For the whole of the trip, Marik could not wipe the smile off his face. Surprisingly, neither could Bakura. Although it was a small smile, it was a smile all the same.

'_There's something about him, when I'm around him…' _Bakura thought.

'_I feel so happy and nothing can bring me down, it's like…' _thought the Egyptian.

'_Just seeing him makes everything okay…'_

'_I am content…'_

'_I don't know why, but…'_

'_And it's because of you.'_

'_I need you.'_

-{0}-

Bakura was sitting outside the principal's office, trying to figure out what he could possibly have been caught doing. Sure, there were plenty of things that he could get busted for, but he was confident that he had covered his tracks.

He looked up as he heard footsteps approaching and sighed in relief as he saw his twin approaching.

'_If Ryou's here, I can't be in trouble. There's no way Ryou would get in any trouble – the boy's practically a saint! I wouldn't be surprised if he walked in one morning with a bloody halo around his head.'_

"Bakura," the nicer twin inquired, "what did you **do**?"

The tougher of the two smirked, "Nothing they can prove I did."

Just then the principal opened the door; he looked at the twins with a sympathetic look on his face.

"Boys, your father is on the way to pick you up. I'm sure he'll be here any minute."

"O-our f-father? What is h-he coming f-for?" Stammered Ryou.

"I think it's better if he tells you himself."

At that moment, Akefia Touzouku walked through the door, his face a stern mask revealing no emotions.

"Thank you Mr Pegasus," he spoke, "I'll take it from here."

Bakura, who had been quietly fuming until this point, stood up and showed his father exactly why people were scared of Bakura's infamous glare.

"Why the fuck should we go with you? You've done nothing, but abandon us. So why the bloody hell should we listen to you? You're not our father; you're nothing but a cowardly bastard! If you think, for one fucking second that –"

"Bakura," came the voice of the softer twin, "I think we should go with him. He must have a good reason, so we should at least hear him out."

The older twin said nothing and stormed off in the direction of the car park, his twin rushing after him and their father following suit.

Once both boys were seated in the back of the car, Mr Touzouku started to drive and after taking a deep breath, finally spoke.

"I'm sorry boys, but your mother and sister were involved in a car accident this morning. They… they didn't make it. You're coming to live with me now; I've been living in Aomori city for the past few months. Don't worry, I've spoken with the principal of Aomori High, and he's more than happy for you to attend school there. I know this must be hard on you, but I have an important meeting in a couple of days so we need to leave now. I've already had all of your clothes and possessions packed into a moving truck on its way to my house, so you don't need to worry about any of that.

Ryou had started crying as soon as his father had mentioned the car accident and was hiding his tear streaked face behind his hands.

'_Mother… Amane… How could this happen? This can't be real,' _he thought, '_Dad has to be lying. He's going to turn around soon and say that it's all just a big joke and then he's going to drive us home and mother and Amane will be there and everything will be fine and… He wouldn't lie about this. No… That means mother and Amane are really… No!'_

Bakura felt his entire body fill with rage. His teeth were clenched and his hands were forming tight fists. As his anger increased, his arms started to shake with barely suppressed rage. However, he was not angry over the death of his family, who had never truly loved him in the first place. No, he was furious for a whole different reason.

"What about our friends, huh? Did you take that into consideration you fucking asshole! Is your fucking business meeting so fucking important that you can't even give us some fucking time to say goodbye to our friends?"

Mr Touzouku regarded his son with a calm expression. "I am perfectly happy to allow you to phone your friends and inform them of your situation."

Instead of calming Bakura as his father thought it would, this statement made him even angrier.

"AND WHAT IF MY FRIEND DOESN'T HAVE A PHONE BECAUSE HE'S AN ORPHAN AND CAN'T AFFORD ONE, AND HIS LANDLINE ISN'T REGISTERED IN THE FUCKING PHONE BOOK BECAUSE HE JUST FUCKING MOVED HERE! HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL HIM?"

"I'm sorry Bakura, but life is like that sometimes. You'll make other friends."

Bakura chose to ignore his father, glaring out the window of the car.

'_Marik… I'm so sorry. I know I'm going to break my promise, but I don't mean to. As soon as I can afford my own place and a car, I'll be back for you. If you even will want to see me that is – I don't know how long it will take, but for you I'll try.'_

For the first time since he was an infant, Bakura let a single tear run down his face. A tear for the boy he was forced to leave behind – the boy who had somehow worked his way into Bakura's stone heart.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Much love to wolfairer, AifasInTheSky, LadySunami, Artemis Nightray, SerenePanic and Sorry I'm such a nerd for reviewing!**

**This is my first fanfic, so I apologize if it isn't that great – I will always be trying to get better. Suggestions are always welcome, it would be a great help if you tell me what you think I'm doing right so I can use it in future fanfics as well as letting me know what I could improve **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, the only thing I own is my love for it.**

**So now that's cleared up, let's get on with the Thiefshipping!**

**Chapter Two: The Distance Between Us**

Bakura sat on the roof of Aomori High. He wasn't worried about being caught: the day his teachers found him up there was the day they realized he had already stolen all of the valuables out of the safes in their houses – so, never. The tall teen had increased his thieving skills greatly in the time he had been in Aomori City, as his father never bothered to supply him and Ryou with any more than the bare essentials.

It had been a month since school resumed, and Bakura had broken his promise to Marik. It wasn't as if he hadn't tried to get back in contact with the young Egyptian, however none of his attempts had ended up working.

After he had eventually calmed down since learning of the move, he had called up Domino High to try and get Marik's number, which had ended up a total failure.

"_Hello, you've reached Domino High, how can I help you?"_

_Bakura paused, remembering what Ryou had instructed him to say. When the albino had realized that ordering the receptionist to tell him Marik's number probably wouldn't cut it, he had appealed to his much nicer, politer twin for help._

"_I was wondering," Bakura said in his best Ryou impersonation, "if you could please give me the contact number for Marik Ishtar? I would really appreciate it."_

"_Who is this?"_

_The tougher Touzouku considered his options. He could lie and claim to be a relative of Marik's, except his only living relatives were Rishid, Ishizu and another brother who's name short stuff couldn't bring himself to say. He didn't sound like a girl, Rishid wouldn't need to call to find out his own number, and it was unlikely that the un-named brother would have a British accent. That left telling the truth._

"_It's Bakura Touzouku."_

"_Ah, Mr Touzouku. Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the school privacy policy? It's against the law to give out our student's private details to strangers."_

_Bakura struggled to keep his composure, managing to reply in a relatively pleasant, though somewhat strained voice._

"_I am aware of the policy, however as I attended the school myself, you know that I am not a stranger."_

"_I'm sorry Mr Touzouku, but rules are rules."_

_She wasn't going to give him the number. Bakura had known that from the second she spoke after hearing his name. The way her voice hardened and took on a harsher tone. No, it seemed that this was rather pointless. Rather than wasting his energy on this woman, he would attempt other methods of getting in touch with the young Egyptian._

"_Fucking bitch," he said as he hung up the phone._

"_Maybe you shouldn't have left her car at the bottom of the school's pool," came Ryou's voice from the next room._

_Calling the school hadn't worked, so Bakura had to resort to what he knew best – stealing. If he could manage to steal enough money, he could catch a plane back to Domino City. Luckily, he knew just who he could get the money from – the owner of Kaiba Corporation, Seto Kaiba._

_Standing in the airport, Bakura had his trademark smirk plastered across his face. Stealing the money from the well-guarded Kaiba mansion had not been easy. He didn't have many other options though, as Kaiba was the only one in the town arrogant enough to keep lots of cash stored in his mansion rather than the bank. The albino had nearly been discovered multiple times but it would be well worth it as he would be seeing his little Egyptian friend in a few hours._

_Suddenly, he felt his arms being grabbed and held firmly. Looking up, he saw a tall man with sunglasses and dark brown hair gelled into a single spike. The man looked down at him and spoke in a deep voice,_

"_Bakura Touzouku, you are arrested for theft and breaking and entering."_

_The pale boy's surprisingly tanned father was not pleased when he had to pay the fine to get his oldest son out of jail. _

_He was royally pissed when two weeks later he once again had to bail out Bakura, this time for stealing a car and attempting to drive back to Domino. Apparently Seto Kaiba didn't take kindly to being robbed, and was now having Bakura under constant surveillance – in Aomori City it seemed that money was power. Leaving the British teen with nothing._

Bakura sighed and ran his hand through his spiky hair. Fate, it seemed, was being cruel to him. Not only was he away from Marik, but he was stuck at an absolute shit-hole of a school. For starters, the uniform was a bright orange that contrasted badly with his sharp features and harsh glare. It had only been a month, but the staff and students had already learned not to bother with him.

Aside from the hideous uniform, everything was practically the same as it had been back in Domino; No one giving a shit about him at school, and only Ryou caring at home. The main difference was the absence of warmth, humour and friendship. The absence of having something to look forward to every day. The absence of Marik Ishtar.

"Rishid, we have to do something."

Ishizu Ishtar gripped the folds of her skirt in her hands, her blue eyes filled with despair. The oldest Ishtar met her gaze, his usually emotionless face not quite managing to mask the concern in his eyes. It had been a month since school had resumed, and their younger brother had barely spoken a word since the first day of term. No matter how hard the older Ishtar's tried, they couldn't find out what had caused their brother to change so drastically. All they received were simple one word answers.

"_How was school Marik?"_

"_Fine."_

"_Are your classes good?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_I made Koshary for dinner! It's your favourite!"_

"_Ok."_

The Ishtar's were running out of options. Ishizu had eventually let Rishid take Marik to the school Guidance Counsellor, but the youngest Egyptian had sat in silence until he was permitted to leave.

"What else can we do? We've tried everything, Ishizu."

Tears filled the raven haired woman's eyes as she came to a decision, "We have to leave."

"What?"

"I said we have to leave. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that we need to leave Domino City as soon as possible."

The oldest Ishtar knew better than to question his sister, more often than not Ishizu's 'predictions' had benefitted them. It was thanks to her that the Ishtar's had come to escape the tradition that bound their family to the tomb back in Egypt.

"Where are we going?"

"Akita. I just have a feeling… Akita City."

"Very well sister, I'll go tell Marik."

Marik sat on his windowsill, staring out at the rain that pounded against the pavement outside. His hands clenched into fists as he looked down at the Millennium Ring that rested against his chest.

Bakura had not come back. Just like nearly everyone else in his life, the Albino had abandoned him. _'Ishizu asks me why I don't trust anyone – this is why. Everyone always lets you down, so there's no point in trusting them. No point in letting them in either. I remember when my brother was always there for me – I trusted him more than anything. It was like he was my guardian angel, always watching over me and protecting me. Until that day… I guess he was still protecting me then, but he went too far. He was taken away though, Bakura chose to leave. He lied to me and didn't come back. He pretended that he was coming back to me, but he lied. But… why do I still care? Why do I still think about him, and why can't I throw away this stupid ring! Maybe I…'_

The young Egyptian's train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door. Rishid didn't bother to wait for the answer he knew wouldn't come, gently closing the door behind him as he entered.

"How was your day, Marik?"

The tall man, as always still tried in vain to have a proper conversation with his younger brother.

"Fine." The answer that Rishid knew was coming.

"Marik, we're leaving. I don't know why, but you've changed and we don't think that being in Domino City is what's best for you unless you really want to stay?"

"No," the blonde spoke bitterly, "I have nothing to stay here for."

Rishid was taken aback by the harsh words of his brother; nevertheless it confirmed his suspicion that Ishizu was correct in the family leaving Domino.

"Very well, you can start packing now if you wish," were Rishid's final words before he left.

'_It's true, there's nothing here for me,' _the young Egyptian thought, ' _but some part of me still doesn't want to leave. It must be Bakura – I can't let him go! No, I need to stop being so foolish! Bakura left and he's not ever coming back…"_

The white haired delinquent was carving an eye into his desk at the back of the classroom. Geography – what a pointless subject. Bakura already knew that he was 1372.32 km away from Marik, so he didn't bother to pay attention to the teacher who was feebly trying to maintain control of the classroom. Behind her was a map of Japan which she was continually tapping with her ruler – as if the class needed to be reminded of what their own country looked like!

A sudden thought occurred to Bakura. '_Of course! Why the bloody hell didn't I think of this earlier?'_

Immediately the albino grabbed a piece of paper and started writing away like a mad man. The bell rang and Bakura sprinted to the library, knocking away anyone foolish to stand in his path. He logged on to one of the computers and opened the internet, typing straight away and searching until he found the image he wanted – a map of Domino City. No, Bakura didn't know the Egyptians street name or number, but he definitely knew how to get there from the bus stop.

Finally, he could get in touch with the little Egyptian.

**-A Week Later-**

Mako Tsunami opened his front door at the sound of a car horn. He waved back to Ishizu and Rishid Ishtar before they car drove off, leaving the street in silence.

The Ishtar's hadn't been the most social of neighbours and Mako hadn't encountered the older siblings often. Ishizu and Rishid had the occasion chat, but they weren't close enough that he bothered to keep in touch. He and the youngest Egyptian had only spoken once, but it was enough of an indication that they would not get along.

_Mako had gone to welcome his new neighbours to Midori Crescent. He had immediately gotten on well with Ishizu, but she was now in the kitchen leaving the fisherman with the blonde._

'_Okay, I'll just talk about what I know,' thought Mako._

"_Do you like the ocean?"_

_The violet eyed boy looked at him like he was the biggest idiot on the face of the planet. _

"_I can't swim."_

_The conversation pretty much ended there._

He wasn't sure where the Ishtar's were going, the only time they'd really talked was when the fisherman had welcomed them to the neighbourhood, and last week when he found out that they were leaving.

The eccentric fisherman collected his mail before going back into his house. Flicking through the piles of envelopes, he had deduced that it was just more bills, that was, until something caught his attention.

**Marik Ishtar**

**1 Midori Crescent, Domino City**

Why on earth would someone send him a letter addressed to the youngest Ishtar? Curiosity got the best of him, so he opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.

**To whoever gets this message, give it to Marik Ishtar. Don't read the message below, or else.**

Of course after reading that, Mako couldn't stop reading.

**Short stuff,**

**Don't scrunch up this letter before you hear me out.**

**I know you're pissed at me right now, and you have every right to be, but I swear this time it actually isn't my fault. Ironic, since normally it's the other way around.**

**My sister and mother kicked the bucket, so I had to go and live with the man whose dick I came out of. I didn't know your address or number, so yeah. I tried to catch a plane back, but Seto Kaiba, a totally asexual asshole caught me and now I'm being fucking monitored. **

**I'll be back someday though, so don't think I'm breaking my promise. It's just going to take a bit longer than expected. **

**Aomori High is shit. The uniform is orange, bloody orange! I never thought I'd miss the old Domino uniform. Of course Ryou's found a new group of friends straight away. That kid doesn't have a bone in his body that isn't friendly. As to be expected, everyone already knows to stay away from the 'Evil Touzouku' and you can shut up, because I didn't spread that nickname myself. Don't deny that's what you're thinking – I know you too well. **

**So anyway, my return address is on the back of the envelope. If you've gotten off your lazy Egyptian ass and bothered to get a computer with Facebook and MSN like the rest of the world, email me at ThiefKingTouzouku17 **

**Later Short Stuff,**

**Bakura**

The fisherman could have cried out with frustration. Not five minutes ago had the Ishtar's left Domino City for good! He could drive after them, if only he knew which way they went! That and he didn't have a car. Why own a car when you'll soon be sailing the ocean?

'_Yes,' _he thought, _'seems poor Marik's hit some rough water.'_

The oldest of the Touzouku twins smashed his fist into the wall, the piece of paper clenched in his hand. The stupid, bloody piece of paper that signified how badly he had screwed up.

**Mr Bakura Touzouku,**

**I'm really sorry about this mate, but the Ishtar's left town a few weeks ago. I know they're definitely gone for good. I think it's got something to do with Marik; the kid's been in a bit of a depression lately. **

**I don't have any contact with them anymore, so I can't help you. Have you tried calling Domino High? I'm pretty sure Marik went to school there; maybe they could fill you in. That's the only thing I can think of.**

**Best of luck,**

**Mako Tsunami**

The white haired teen could hardly believe it. What were the odds that Marik would move before his letter arrived? Hell, what were the odds that the Ishtar's would move at all?

'_I reckon someone up there's got it in for me,' _Bakura thought, _'maybe Amane, getting me back for all the times I refused to play with her. Or mum, punishing me for not being a good enough child. Then again, maybe karma is kicking my ass for all the ass kicking I've done in the past.'_

The nicer twin chose this moment to poke his head around the door.

"Did you have any luck?"

Bakura made an effort to calm himself down before answering his brother in a tight voice, "No. He and his family have moved. I don't know where."

"Oh. Well, I'm sure – "

"What? You're sure I'll find some way to contact him? That it was all for the best? Is that what you were going to say? Wake up Ryou! Get out of that fantasy world you live in where everything is all bloody sunshine and rainbows! This is the real world! Things don't just work out okay in the end! I thought you would have figured that out when mum and Amane died!"

Bakura instantly regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. He watched as his brother's innocent brown eyes grew large and glassy as they started to fill with tears.

"Ryou, I'm sorry…"

"It's fine," the other twin answered in a voice slightly quieter than usual, "you're upset. I understand, but please keep in mind that it's not me you're angry with. Maybe you wouldn't be so angry if you took the time to tell me things. I can help, Bakura. Please stop pushing me away."

The older twin ran his fingers through his hair, looking straight into the eyes of his twin.

"There's nothing you can do Ryou. I promised a friend that I'd be back, but as you know that didn't bloody happen. Now I've lost him, and there's nothing you or I can do about it. I don't want to talk about it."

Ryou, being the more sensitive twin could tell that this was obviously hurting Bakura a lot more than he let on. But there was nothing that he could say to fix it, so there was no point in insisting his twin tell him more. Instead, he changed the topic.

"I got full marks for my Modern History exam."

Bakura could tell that his brother had changed the subject on purpose. Ryou had always been perceptive when it came to others feelings.

"That's great Ryou. I'm proud of you."

"I don't think I've told you before, but I want to be a history teacher. I find it very interesting, even though there's a lot of work to do."

"You'd make a great teacher Ryou."

A happy smile lit up the youngest twin's face. "You really think so?"

Bakura rolled his eyes at his brother. He looked like a hyperactive dog that's just about to go for a walk.

"Yes I think so. You can do anything you set your mind to, reach for the stars and whatever other inspirational crap applies. Now get out of my room, that's enough sappy nonsense for one day."

The younger Touzouku complied with his brother's request, leaving Bakura to do whatever he did when he was alone in his room. Whatever it was, Ryou didn't want to know.

Before he went to sleep that night, the younger twin said a quiet prayer.

"Whoever's out there, please help my brother find happiness. Sure he's not the nicest person ever, but he really does have a heart. He just doesn't use it much. Please help him to find what he's looking for. Thanks."

He could only hope that his wish would come true.

**That's the end of chapter two!**

**I feel so mean, keeping them apart like this.**

**Also, this is going to be a Theifshipping story, with some possible Deathshipping. Any other pairings anyone else wants to see?**

**Feel free to let me know.**

**That's pretty much it… Until next time, keep Thiefshipping! Xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Much love to LadySunami, Me myself and I (Guest reviewer), SerenePanic, Elle Seren, Artemis Nightray, Frikay and M169 for reviewing!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Even if someone came up to me and said, "Hey, here's the rights for Yu-Gi-Oh", I still wouldn't own it. I would give it to someone else (See list of names above.)**

**So more comments down the bottom but for now, that's about it, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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**Chapter Three: So Close, and Yet So Far**

The eldest Touzouku twin leaned his pale arm against the kitchen counter, a look of amusement crossing his face as he took on the sight of his brother frantically running around the house.

"Ryou," he lectured, "quit running around like a bloody chicken with its head cut off. You're going to give yourself a heart attack."

Said younger twin stopped his frantic preparations and looked up at Bakura, his innocent eyes wide and slightly deranged.

"I don't want to be late for my first day of being a student teacher! What if I get there late and the professor decides that I'm not right for the job and replaces me? What if I choke up and my students laugh at me? What if I forget my pants and become a laughing stock? I can't do this Bakura!"

Bakura rolled his eyes at his brother and chose to answer the easier of his questions first. "For starters Ryou, I doubt you'll forget your pants since you're already wearing them."

With that out of the way, the tall albino was left with the problem of dealing with his twin's other insecurities. _'This is pathetic,' _he thought, _'a twenty-two year old should not have to give a bloody pep talk to his twin brother.' _Fortunately, if there was one thing the tougher Touzouku was good at, it was tough love.

"Ryou," he said calmly, "we did not move to bloody Akita City for you to wimp out. You were offered this job, so obviously you are capable of doing it. Calm the fuck down."

This seemed to snap the sweeter twin out of his trance and a grateful smile crossed his face.

"You're right, Bakura. I think this move will be good for us; I won't get attacked by people who think I'm you! You finally have a clean slate!"

"I don't care," the older twin replied, "as soon as I get enough money to afford a car and a decent apartment, I'm heading straight back to Domino."

Ryou looked up at his twin with a concerned look on his face, "Bakura, you need to let it go. It's been four years. I know this is about your friend but you said yourself that he's no longer there."

"No. I'm not going to give up until I find him."

"Well Bakura, maybe I could help you – after all, you're my brother. Could you at least tell me his name?"

"I don't need your help, Ryou. I'll find him on my own."

Ryou couldn't help but chuckle at the taller youth's stubbornness.

"Well Bakura," he suggested sweetly, "perhaps you should get a job so that you can actually earn the money you need?"

"Yeah yeah," came the reply, "I'll head out and start looking today. Just hurry up and go to your work before you're late."

The younger Touzouku beamed at his twin before rushing out the door, his briefcase in one hand while the other was waving to his brother as he yelled goodbye. Ten minutes later, Bakura was also out the door. He was determined to find someone to hire him, even if his track record wasn't great.

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Ryou paused outside the door, too nervous to knock. On the other side of this door was the teacher he would be assisting to get the necessary qualifications to become a full teacher himself. Impressing her was vital if he wanted to get a job. The fluffy haired youth pictured her as his old History teacher, short and old with grey hair, old fashioned clothes and a harsh scowl fixed on her face.

With this picture still in mind, he reached out to knock on the door, only to have it swing open and leave him face to face with the Head of History. To say she was different from the image he had in his head would be a massive understatement. She was young with long golden blonde hair that flowed down to her waist. She studied him with clever violet eyes, her lips pressed in a pout. She also had other nice… features that Ryou was too much of a gentleman to spend much time staring at. To put it simply, she was beautiful.

"Ah," she spoke, "you're my assistant teacher right?"

"Oh, um," Ryou stammered, "Yes. My n-name is Ryou T-Touzouku."

Her full lips formed a smirk, a look of amusement crossing her face as she looked at the small albino. She brushed past him and started to walk down the corridor. Ryou, unsure of what to do remained at the door, nervously rubbing his hands together until he heard her voice echoing back at him through the hallway.

"Are you coming or not?"

The young assistant teacher hurried to catch up to her and together they walked through the school.

"My name is Mai Valentine, but you can just call me Mai."

Ryou nodded his head, keeping his eyes on the ground. The blonde had only known him for a few minutes but she could tell there was something off about him.

"Hey Ryou," she asked, "Are you alright?"

Lying was something that the youngest Touzouku had never done, so he replied truthfully in a timid voice.

"I'm just really nervous. History means a lot to me because my Dad is an archaeologist. He's been working in Egypt for years, and he sends us back really interesting artefacts. Most children had fairy tales as bed time stories; I had tales of Egyptian Pharaohs. It's been so important to me, so I don't want to mess up and embarrass myself."

Studying him, Mai smiled as she realized he was just a very shy and sweet person. In her usual manner, she flung her arm around his shoulders as they continued walking.

"You don't need to worry," she assured him, "all of my students are pretty good. Besides, the first topic you'll be helping us cover is Ancient Egypt."

"Oh that's good," the male replied, "But are there any students I need to watch out for? I-I like being prepared."

The blonde slowed down to think about it. "Not really, just a couple of boys in my year twelve class. Rex and Weevil tend to fool around more than work, so just make sure they stay focus and don't try to 'entertain' the rest of the class. Then, there's Marik Ishtar."

"Marik?"

"Yeah, he's one of those geniuses who decide to not do any work whatsoever and waste their time doing nothing. You know the type?"

"Um, y-yes?"

"We're here now. Don't worry about Marik; his bite is worse than his bark."

"Oh… wait, what?" '_I thought it was the other way around?'_

Mai turned around and winked at him and with that she strode into the classroom they had stopped outside of. Ryou tentatively followed behind her and stood next to her as she addressed the class who were already at their seats.

"Alright listen up," she commanded, "This is Mr Touzouku, he'll be with us for a few months as assistant teacher, so what he says goes. Got it? Good. Open your textbooks to page 37 and start reading."

Immediately some students started to whisper to each other only to face a steely violet glare.

"That was not an invitation to talk."

Ryou took this opportunity to look around the class. He turned his gaze to the back of the classroom and realized he was being stared at. The boy had tanned skin, blonde hair and lilac eyes that were widened in shock as he stared at Ryou.

'_Why is he looking at me like that? No one else is,' _Ryou thought, '_and he just looks so… shocked! Is he okay? He's not moving; maybe he's having a seizure or something! What should I do?'_

Not long into his internal ramble, he realized the boy was no longer looking at him in shock; instead his expression had changed to that of pure anger. His fists were closed tightly and his teeth were clenched together. His eyes had narrowed and they seemed to have a grey tint to them somehow.

Mai, wondering what on earth Ryou was doing followed his gaze until she noticed Marik.

"Ishtar, do your work."

Ryou instantly looked away from Marik's dark glare, choosing to stare at the floor instead.

_'Oh,' _Ryou thought, _'this is Marik. That explains why he isn't working, but it doesn't explain why he's staring at me with such hatred. What on earth could I have done?'_

The silence in the room was interrupted by the loud slam of books hitting the desk. Everyone in the room turned towards the back of the room, only to whip their heads back around as the Egyptian stormed across the classroom and out the door. The assistant teacher was shocked. Why had the mere sight of him upset Marik?

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Marik sat on the edge of the roof of the building. No one bothered him there, although many girls and a lot of guys tried. The black of the uniform highlighted his sandy blonde hair, tanned skin and violet eyes. Apparently his 'I don't give a fuck' attitude make him Akita High's perfect bad boy. However, he was far from perfect. He was an empty, broken shell of the confident youth that he used to be. There had been a time when he thought the scars on his back were the worst pain imaginable, but nothing compared to having your trust and heart crushed. The cause of that? Bakura. Why had he shown up now? To rub it in Marik's face that he was fine?

No, that couldn't be right. Something seemed off about the albino.

'_I've never seen him look so… fragile,' _the blonde thought, '_like he could break at any second. Hold on… didn't he have a twin? That explains it; he's definitely not Bakura, although they look alike. I guess 'Kura was right when he said they were opposites. Stupid 'Kura. Baka-Kura.'_

Back in Domino High, Marik had a whole group of friends. Spending his day with them felt good and made him forget his past… He'd lost all contact with them now. Instead, he hung around with Rex and Weevil, who could hardly be counted as friends. They hung with the Egyptian so his bad boy image would rub off on them so they did everything he said. They were more like mind-slaves than friends.

Bakura had been his first friend though. He felt a connection with him that he hadn't felt with his other friends. Twelve year old Marik didn't know what to call it and seventeen year old Marik hadn't bothered to think about it. The thought hurt too much.

'_I don't know how I can see Touzouku's face every day. It reminds me of him…'_

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"Bakura I'm home!"

Said older twin was sprawled out on the sofa when he heard his brother call out. Why would he bother informing him that he was home? Oh, he probably wanted Bakura to say something.

"How badly did you screw up your first day?"

"Ever the concerned brother," came the reply. "It was good; the unit this term is Ancient Egypt so I feel comfortable."

The taller brother scoffed, "How boring."

"Well my day at least started off interesting," said Ryou. "One kid in my first class looked at me like he'd been slapped in the face. Then he looked like he wanted to kill me! Apparently he couldn't stand the sight of me, so he ran out of the classroom!"

"Sounds like someone's got bloody issues."

"No," protested the smaller twin, "I think he's good. Maybe he's been hurt by something in the past and that's why he doesn't do anything. I think I could get him to open up if I tried."

"Oh give it a rest, bleeding heart," was Bakura's reply. "You can't just go around trying to help everyone who needs it. Just give up on the stupid kid."

"You're such a hypocrite! You haven't given up on that friend of yours, so you can't tell me to give up on my student!"

"Bloody hell Ryou, you haven't even talked to the guy! My friend's different. He's someone worth wasting time on. What's this kid's name?"

'_No way,' _Ryou thought, '_there's no chance I'm telling Bakura. He'll probably go out of his way to make sure I don't help Marik. Bakura is always so closed off and secretive. Sometimes I feel like he's just using me, even though we're twins. But this time, I won't lose to him.'_

"I'll tell you his name," suggested the younger twin, "if you tell me your friend's name."

'_No way,' _thought Bakura, '_if I tell him about Marik first, then he wins. As if I'd let my marshmallow of a brother beat me in a game of wits.' _

"I'll tell you his name," mocked the older twin, "the day Seto Kaiba removes the stick that's shoved so far up his ass that you can almost see it when he talks."

"Fine Bakura. Did you at least find a job?"

A scowl spread across the tall albino's face as he recalled the events from earlier today…

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People hurried out of their way to avoid the scary albino as he stormed down the footpath. He'd spent an hour looking for a job without any luck at all. Apparently people only wanted employees who were 'polite, customer friendly and had some form of qualifications.' Bakura had no idea how he was going to make any money at this rate.

He was so wrapped up in his fuming that he didn't notice the coke bottle on the ground until he had already tripped over it. Yes, Bakura Touzouku the legendary Thief King had fallen on his face. Muttering things that made all mothers who passed him cover their children's ears; the British youth pulled himself to his feet to find himself standing a breath away from an old man.

"Are you alright?" the elder asked.

"I'm fine," was the harsh reply, "now get out of my way, old man."

"No," the stubborn man said, "what is bothering you?"

Bakura rolled his eyes, how could people be so foolish and annoying? If this continued, he'd end up with a job… if being a murderer counted as a profession.

"I'm trying to find a bloody job so move out of the bloody way."

"A job? I could give you a job. I own the Kame Game shop and I could always use a hand at the counter. Come drop by later if you want the job."

With this the old man stepped out of Bakura's way, saving the albino the effort of shoving him out of the way.

"Whatever old man," Bakura spat, "I'll come see you if I'm desperate enough to work in some stupid bloody game shop."

"I'll see you soon then," the old man replied in a superior tone before walking away.

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"Earth to Bakura!"

"What?"

"Answer my question," Ryou said in an exasperated tone.

Silence was his only answer. It made sense though; it would be hard for Bakura of all people to find employment. Still, his brother's pride must have taken a massive kick right where it hurts.

"Bakura," the younger twin said, "don't worry; I'm sure you'll find someone to hire you. Maybe if you tell them how desperate you are they might – "

"Ryou."

"Yeah?"

"Fuck off."

"Bakura you're so mean!"

"You know Ryou, you're really annoying."

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"_You know Marik, you're really annoying."_

_The tanned boy looked up at his friend, his face still etched in sadness. He had been like that for the past few days, and the albino sitting beside him could hardly stand it._

"_I'm sorry 'Kura, it's just… that necklace meant a lot to me. It's a part of my culture, just like my Kohl markings. It doesn't feel right without it."_

_The blonde had taken his jewellery off for gym, however when he went to get changed it was no longer with the rest of his stuff. He had gone crazy looking for it, but even with the principal asking the whole school about 'Marik-boy's bling' the Egyptian still hadn't found it._

"_Well you've been bloody pissing me off," the delinquent stated, "so the new bus stop rule is no talking about your bloody stupid necklace."_

"_You're such a jerk! It's not a stupid necklace," Marik exclaimed, "I told you it's important to me! How can you be so insensitive?"_

_With that, the young teen stood up and walked a few metres away from the bus shelter, crossing his arms and closing his eyes._

"_Short stuff –"_

"_Shut up, Baka-Kura!"_

_The tall teen silently stood up. Not making a sound, he crept over to Marik so he was standing right behind the pouting Egyptian. Said Egyptian opened his eyes wide when he felts something cool and familiar slide around his neck. Unfolding his arms and reaching up, he confirmed that his necklace was indeed back around his neck. He spun around and looked up at Bakura, his lilac eyes sparkling and a wide smile stretched across his face._

"_How did – "_

"_Someone took it, I took it back. They don't call me the Thief King for nothing."_

"_Who had it?"_

"_Oh," the albino paused, "no one worth remembering, although I guess that only narrows it down to the whole school. It was just some year eleven assholes."_

_A lie. There was no way that Bakura would ever tell the kid the truth. Marik didn't need to know that his friend Joey had been dared by Tristan to steal it. The only reason the British teen had waited those few days instead of getting it straight away was to see if the idiots would own up. He saw no need for Marik to know the truth, not that he cared if the Egyptian was hurt or anything._

"_Thank you 'Kura!"_

_The blonde wrapped his arms around Bakura's waist and buried his head in the pale chest. _

"_Yeah yeah," the taller teen grumbled, "I only did it so you'd quit your bitching now let me go."_

"_Never," was the childish reply, "I won't let go until you hug me back!"_

"_Short stuff, you know that's not going to happen."_

"_Yeah, I figured it was worth a shot though. Maybe one day you'll start to care about people and then you'll – "_

_The Egyptian stopped speaking when he felt strong arms wrap around him. The delinquent held Marik close and rested his head on the sandy blonde one._

"_There are some things I care about," the albino quietly murmured, letting the boy go. _

"_Oh yeah," Marik asked while looking down to hid his blush, "and what exactly is it you care about?"_

"_Money."_

_The small boy immediately looked up to see Bakura, with a fake look of ignorance on his face, holding a purple wallet in his hands._

"_Hey! You used my hug to steal my wallet!"_

"_Don't get so upset short stuff. Here, I'll shout you something to eat. You see, I've just recently acquired some money and…" Bakura trailed off as he saw the tears forming in the young boys eyes. _

"_I was just joking," he quickly said, holding out the wallet, "you can have it back!"_

_The Egyptian took the purple object from the pale outstretched hands and silently walked to wait for the bus that was coming down the road. The bus pulled up and not a single word had been spoken by the blonde, making his friend rather anxious. As Bakura went to walk to his seat, he was stopped by the hand of the already seated Egyptian. Said devious Egyptian flashed him a feral smile._

"_Have a good day, Baka-kura."_

_The albino walked to the back of the bus, still a bit stunned about what had happened. Then his face broke out into its trademark smile._

'_That kid… He's definitely something.'_

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**A/N: 'Baka' means idiot in Japanese, so Baka-kura is some sort of teasing nickname I thought it would be cute for Marik to call Bakura.**

**Also, I've decided each chapter will include a memory of cute moments from when Marik and Bakura where friends in Domino. If you have any ideas of any moments you want to see between our favourite thieves, be sure to let me know.**

**Thanks to everyone who recommended side-pairings. I've decided on Polarshipping (how could I not), Peachshipping, and… a Deathshipping vs. Softshipping battle to be resolved later in the fic. How does that sound? Any other pairings you want to see?**

**Until next time, keep Thiefshipping! Xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Much love to SerenePanic, M169, NightWitch1312, Frikay, Elle Seren, wolfairer, Artemis Nightray and FanGirl16 for reviewing and to Miss Macabre Grey for reviewing by PM **

**Special thanks to FanGirl16 who suggested the walk in the park flashback.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, the only thing I own is my love for Thiefshipping.**

**Here's chapter four, I hope you like it **

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**Chapter Four: It's Driving Me Mad, I Miss You So Bad**

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The rain splashed against the windows. The grey sky set a melancholy and depressing feel all around Akita City and the feelings inside Marik Ishtar's room were no different. He'd been in perhaps an even worse mood upon discovering that his new teacher was none other than the twin of the man who had left him four years ago.

A knock on the door distracted the blonde from his thoughts and he looked up to see his sister entered the room. She came over silently and sat beside him on the bed.

"Please brother," she pleaded, "why can't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Go away Ishizu," Marik responded.

"No. I care about you, brother. I want to help you."

The frustration that had been building up for years burst forth. The trigger, one little word constantly repeated by Ishizu.

"Why? Why do you never call me by my name? Why do you always call me brother? It's because of him, isn't it? Answer me!"

Guilt laced her dark blue eyes as Ishizu replied, "You know that's not true."

"Do I? I don't know Ishizu!"

"Why do you always call me Ishizu?"

Disbelief clouded violet eyes as Marik looked at his sister.

"Are you serious? I call you Ishizu because it's your name! Not this 'Isis' you've come up with in order to make yourself seem better than you are. I know he's the reason you won't call me Marik. I'm tired of your shit!"

The blonde stormed out of his room and out the front door into the rain. The raindrops wet his clothes, but he wasn't about to run back into his house to grab his umbrella. With nothing else to do, he started to walk to school.

He was right, he decided. Ishizu had only started to refer to him as 'brother' after the death of their father. It had been annoying him ever since he realized why, but now with Bakura's twin as his teacher the young Egyptian was more easily frustrated, as the memory of Bakura had plagued his mind.

His father had never been a father to him. The two main figures he'd had in his life had both abandoned him. Until he was twelve, his brother had been his everything and after it had been Bakura. They'd both left him, but it was highly possible that Bakura was close to him again. He could do it, he could find Bakura. All he had to do was ask Ryou and… No, Baka-Kura wouldn't want to see him. He didn't want to see Marik; otherwise he wouldn't have left without a word. The Egyptian had cried and spent years hating and resenting Bakura but he still couldn't deny that he missed the albino.

_'Why? He hurt me so much,' _the blonde thought, '_why do I still care about him? I say I hate him but that's not true. Why? Could it be that I -"_

"What's up Marik?"

The Egyptian boy swore as his internal revelation was interrupted. Through the rain he could make out the figures of Rex and Weevil walking towards him, both holding umbrellas above their heads.

A silent agreement settled between the three of them and they simultaneously turned and began to walk towards school.

Breaking the silence, Rex turned to Marik and stated the obvious,

"Marik, you're soaked."

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_"Marik, you're soaked."_

_The blonde boy looked up at the concerned British teen, droplets clinging to the eyelashes that framed his bright amethyst eyes. It had stopped raining nearly half an hour ago, but the enthusiastic boy was still wet._

_"I know," the boy chirped, "but I wanted to walk in the rain! I've never had the chance to before. It's so awesome! I love the smell."_

_The albino shook his head in amusement, "You'll get a cold though."_

_He removed his school jacket and placed it around the shivering tanned boy. Said tanned boy beamed up at him, clutching the jacket close to himself._

_"But," he wondered, "won't you get a cold 'Kura? I don't want you to get a cold."_

_"Don't worry about it," the teen replied, "I'll be fine. I'm not wet because I didn't run in the rain like an idiot, Mariku."_

_The blonde immediately pulled away from Bakura and looked up at him, his eyes flashing in pain and his teeth clenched together._

_"What did you just call me?"_

_"I called you Mariku," the delinquent replied in confusion, "just like you call me 'Kura as a nickname. Not that I particularly like you that much, it's just an eye for an eye or some shit like that."_

_"Don't ever call me that again! I'm Marik! I'm not Mariku, we're not the same! Don't compare me to him!"_

_Understanding hit the albino and his eyes softened. _

_"Is Mariku your brother? The one you won't talk about?"_

_Silently the Egyptian nodded, refusing to make eye contact with the Brit._

"_Did your parents run out of original names?"_

_The albino had to lean down in order to catch the next softly spoken words._

"_No. My father… He named me after Mariku. He said I was just as evil as Mariku."_

"_Oh please. You're far too short to be evil. There's no way evil could be contained in such a small body. Obviously the old man was delusional."_

_Violet eyes met mahogany and a silent agreement was formed. Mariku wouldn't be brought up unless it was his brother who felt like approaching the issue. Luckily, something else caught the Egyptian's eye._

"_What's that 'Kura?"_

_The thief looked in the direction to see what the tanned hand was indicating. Marik was gesturing towards a rainbow that had appeared in the clearing sky. _

"_Haven't you ever seen a rainbow before?"_

"_No," came the reply, "but it's so pretty! Where do they come from? Why are they there?"_

_The albino couldn't believe it. He, Bakura Touzouku, bad boy Thief King of Domino High was explaining the significance of a rainbow to a highly feminine pre-teen. The situation was ridiculous. He was about to tell Marik exactly where he could shove his curiosity, when he looked into the Egyptian's eyes._

_The violet eyes were filled with such innocent hope and joy, and Bakura could not bring himself to crush that look. In the short month they'd known each other, the Brit had to admit that he cared for the small boy a hell of a lot. He didn't know why, but it didn't change the fact that the Egyptian wanted something and like an idiot, the Thief King had to give it to him._

"_That," he explained, "is a rainbow. They come after rain. There was a whole lot of religious shit involving floods that went with it, but I didn't care enough to listen. According to some people, there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."_

_At this, the boy's smile grew ever wider._

"_Well you're the Thief King right? Why don't we join forces and steal the pot of gold?!"_

_Bakura couldn't help but laugh at the boy's enthusiasm and innocence. The Egyptian was just so… cute. There was no other word to properly describe the kid._

"_There isn't really a pot of gold there, short stuff. It's just a myth because there is no end of the rainbow. It's an illusion."_

"_Oh well," the blonde replied, "I've got enough gold already."_

"_Is that so?"_

"_Yeah," Marik affirmed, "the jewellery I wear is pure gold and like most Egyptians, my house contains many gold artefacts from back in Egypt."_

"_Hm, that's very interesting…"_

"_That doesn't mean you should try and steal from my house," the young boy scolded. _

"_Relax short stuff. I don't steal from the less fortunate."_

"_Hey!"_

**|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|**

Bakura slammed open the doors to the Kame Game Shop. Striding in he walked up to the counter where a tall teen with starfish hair was standing. The man was definitely weird; his hair was red, black and blonde. The spike formation was somewhat similar to that of the old man who Bakura had talked to yesterday.

"Hey you," the albino called, "the demented starfish. I'm looking for the old man."

"Why business would a rude rabbit have with my Grandpa?"

"Oh," Bakura replied condescendingly, "he's your Grandfather. Of course he is. Isn't there are saying the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? Anyway I'm looking for him."

The old man then appeared at the door. A scowl appeared on his Grandson's face – obviously he didn't want the thief to talk to his Grandpa.

"Ah," the man said wisely, "I presume you're here about that stupid job you'd never be desperate enough to have? My name is Solomon Mutou and this here's my grandson Yami. If you want you get started right away…?"

"Sure," Bakura snapped, "what do I need to do, old man?"

"First, you need to tell me your name."

"… Bakura Touzouku."

"Nice to meet you," chirped the old man, "Now I'll put you on the register for the time being. I assume you know how to work it? Yami, I'll get you to help me out the back."

The multi-coloured haired youth narrowed his eyes at Bakura. Yami sensed there was something not right about the man. His eyes were hard, yet with a twinkle in them that seemed to be mocking everyone who fell under their gaze.

"Grandpa," Yami said firmly, "I don't think you should let him work the register. We don't know that we can trust him."

The older man merely looked amused at his Grandson's accusations.

"Well," he replied, "what better way to find out?"

With that, he exited through the door behind the counter. Yami paused to glare at Bakura before following after his Grandpa.

The pale man rolled his eyes at the antics of the other youth before standing behind the service counter. Ordinarily, Yami would be right in his prediction of Bakura, however the British man needed this job to stick. That meant no stealing and being nice to customers.

"Fan-bloody-tastic…"

**|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|**

"Does anyone have any questions about the assignment?"

Simultaneously, the class shook their heads.

"Alright, then get out your laptops and start researching."

Following the instructions of their temporary assistant teacher, the class took out their laptops and began quietly talking.

Ryou breathed a sigh of relief. He'd panicked earlier when Mai told him he had to give the class their assignment. She said it was no big deal, just handing out sheets and explaining the task and criteria, but the timid Brit still couldn't help but worry. He was thankful that most of the class had been giving him their attention as he explained their task – a two thousand word essay on an Egyptian God, complete with detailed research notes and appropriate referencing. The only person not paying attention was the Egyptian in the back of the classroom who was focusing on writing something the whole time.

Nervously, Ryou approached the tanned boy. He was met with a fierce glare from the bright violet eyes as the teen looked up at him.

"Hey Marik," spoke Ryou, "do you know what you're doing for the assignment?"

Not relaxing his glare, the Egyptian replied shortly, "Ra."

Reassured that the boy had actually answered him, the small albino decided to press further.

"That sounds interesting! Do you need any help?"

The blonde looked at the student teacher as if he was the biggest idiot in the world. The little confidence Ryou had gained in talking to the boy immediately disappeared.

"What is your problem? Obviously your memory needs some improvement," Marik replied harshly, "we were only just given the assignment and I don't think I need you holding my hand while I'm doing simple research notes. Also, are you blind? Can you not see my skin and my attire? It's obvious that I'm _Egyptian_, and as this assignment is based on _Egyptian _Gods, I hardly need your help. Why waste your time coming over here when I'm the one person in this class who needs the least help?"

Ryou struggled to remain looking confident. After all, he'd stood up to Bakura last night and Marik had nothing on the evil Touzouku.

"As you weren't paying attention when I was addressing the class, I wanted to make sure you were clear on the task. Might I see what you were doing?"

Without waiting for a reply, the assistant teacher leaned over to look at the paper on the blonde's desk. It seemed that Marik hadn't been writing, he had instead been drawing. Ryou's eyes widened in shock as he saw the beautifully detailed drawing of himself being mauled by a tiger. As hurt as he was by the image, he couldn't help but notice how much talent the young boy possessed. The likeness was obvious, white hair covered in blood, pale arms trembling and dark eyes widened in fear.

"Marik," he stated in a shaky voice, "this is hardly appropriate. Why would you draw me like that? What could I have possibly – "

He was interrupted by the bell signalling the end of class. The students started hurriedly packing their books as they rushed to get to lunch. Marik calmly stood with his books in his arms and looked at Ryou. He said one last thing before joining his classmates as they exited the room.

"It's not you."

**|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|**

Bakura looked up as he heard the door to the Game Shop open. A woman with tanned skin, dark hair and royal blue eyes stepped in. There were gold trinkets around her arms and neck and the Brit could immediately tell this woman was Egyptian.

A smirk crossed the thief's face as he began to formulate a plan. He walked over to the woman who was now browsing the shelves.

"Could I help you with anything?" He asked in a smooth voice.

The woman looked up at him, a smile crossing her face as her eyes lit up.

"I was wondering if you had anything that a seventeen year old boy would find entertaining. I'm looking for a birthday present for my younger brother."

"Of course," was the seductive reply, "how wonderful of you to show such care for your brother. Do you know what kinds of games his friends have?"

"Truthfully… I don't think my brother has any real friends."

"Then I'm not sure if any of our games would suit him – they are all group games," advised the Brit.

"Unless," the woman suggested, "he likes them so much that he makes friends to play them with."

The tall youth forced a look of amazement onto his face. It was time to put his plan into action.

"I can't believe I didn't think of that! You are truly intelligent… not to mention beautiful."

I rosy blush appeared on the woman's cheeks as she looked straight into Bakura's eyes. She was captivated by the dark brown hues that almost appeared red.

"You are far too kind," she gushed, "I'm not either of those things."

"No, you're far more. Might I be blessed with the knowledge of your name?"

"You may call me Isis. You are…?"

"My name is Bakura. It's truly a pleasure to meet such a beauty as yourself Isis. If I might ask, you're not Japanese, are you."

Isis looked down at her feet, embarrassed that the handsome man she'd known for only a few minutes was able to tell she was different.

"Oh," she inquired, "is it that obvious? I'm from Egypt."

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I assumed you were, because when I first saw you I thought you were an Egyptian goddess."

The Egyptian turned an even darker shade of red and Bakura inwardly congratulated himself. His plan was working perfectly so far, he knew he had the woman right where he wanted her.

"I've heard," he said, "that Egyptians cook the most wonderful food, but sadly I've never been able to taste some authentic Egyptian food. Is it truly as good as they say?"

"Oh," Isis replied shyly, "I suppose it is. If you really want to try it that badly, you can come over to my house for dinner. I'm sure my brothers won't mind the extra company. That is, if you want to. I understand if you don't, I mean we only just met and –"

"Isis," Bakura interrupted, "there is nothing I would love more than to taste your cooking. Is tonight alright?"

The Egyptian woman beamed at the tall man, her pure blue eyes instantly lighting up with joy. She took out a pen and a magazine from her bag, scrawling an address on the corner before ripping it off and handing it to Bakura.

"Come over around six tonight?"

"That sounds great, Isis. I'll see you there."

Isis beamed again before practically bounding out of the store, all thoughts of her brother's present forgotten. In her excitement, she knocked over a manga rack, but she was too wrapped up in her romantic thoughts to notice.

Shaking his head Bakura walked over pick up the fallen objects. He was very pleased with himself, his plan had worked perfectly. After the time he'd spent with Marik, he knew how many valuable items Egyptians seemed to own. As soon as he'd seen the gold Isis was wearing, he knew that if he could get an invitation to her house, he'd be able to steal all the artefacts and sell them. No longer would he have to do this 'work' to earn money. Luckily the foolish woman had agreed for tonight.

Bakura sighed as he picked up the rack, noticing that the fall had broken some of the shelves.

"Such a klutz…"

**|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|**

"_Such a klutz…"_

"_Shut up Baka-Kura!"_

_The albino rolled his eyes and walked over to the Egyptian who was currently sprawled out on the ground. His books had fallen out of his bag and papers covered the pavement._

"_What did you even trip over? The pavement is smooth," the delinquent teased. Nevertheless he bent down and started picking up books. Marik got to his feet and picked up the rest, putting them back in his bag._

"_I'm just… not with it today. It's just one of those days."_

_Upon hearing this, Bakura's trademark smirk became even deeper. The Egyptian looked at his friend with wide eyes as he wondered what evil thing the albino could be thinking of._

"_Luckily for you," the older teen taunted, "I happen to have the cure for that."_

"_I don't know Bakura. That sounds very… suspicious."_

_Immediately the British teen pulled a tragic face as he stared down at the blonde with wide eyes and a pout on his face._

"_Oh come on," moaned the younger boy as he rolled his eyes, "Grow up. Stop looking at me like that! … Baka-Kura… Cut it out!"_

_There was a moment's silence, before Marik sighed and lowered his head in defeat._

"_Fine," he replied, "what is this cure you're on about?"_

_The cunning smirk was back on the British teen's face and the evil twinkle was once again in his eyes as he simply said,_

"_So glad you asked."_

_In one swift movement, Bakura snatched the Egyptians bag off him and started to walk down the path leading away from the bus stop. Marik took off after him, yelling at the teen to give his belongings back, however his protests were ignored. _

_After a few minutes of walking, Bakura came to a stop and looked down at the pouting Egyptian._

"_Here it is," he announced, "the cure for a bad mood."_

_Marik looked up, his eyes wide as he took in his surroundings. They were standing in a large park which was filled with various trees. The delinquent knew his little companion would like it as he seemed to have a strange love for trees._

"_But what about school," questioned the Egyptian, "will we get into trouble?"_

"_Of course not," came the reply, "you seem to have forgotten how sick you were at the bus stop. You were lucky I was able to get you to my home before you started to vomit. Of course I couldn't leave you there, so I took care of you for the day. Which is exactly what you will explain to anyone who asks tomorrow."_

_He finished off this statement with a wink as he looked at the young boy who suddenly grabbed the albino's hand and started to pull him across the park. Bakura was about to protest, but just then the Egyptian turned around and flashed him a stunning smile. Once again, the British teen found that he was completely at the mercy of the blonde so he let himself be pulled around the park._

_After a few minutes, Marik let go of Bakura's hand and turned to face him._

"_What is that thing, 'Kura?"_

_The albino looked in the direction the boy was pointing and was once again taken back by how many things the Egyptian didn't know._

"_That's an ice-cream cart, Marik."_

"_Ice … Cream?"_

"_It's a treat. Here, I'll get you some."_

_The two walked over to the kart, which was managed by a young boy with green hair who turned to serve his new customers. _

"_Would you like this baby?" he questioned in a loud, annoying voice, gesturing to the baby that was strapped to his back._

_Marik was too wrapped up in intensely studying the different ice cream flavours so he didn't hear what the boy said. The blonde was still oblivious as the boy selling the ice-cream continued on some rant about a coaster for his drink._

_The albino's hand started to twitch as he fought the urge to stop the green haired boy from talking… permanently._

"_Hey 'Kura, check it out!"_

_Luckily for the annoying boy, he was saved from death when the Egyptian called out, as Bakura turned to see what the blonde wanted. Said blonde was pointing at the vanilla._

"_This one's the same colour as your hair! It's also pretty much the same colour as your skin."_

"_Uh huh," came the uninterested reply._

"_It kinda looks like snow!"_

"_Short stuff, just pick a bloody flavour."_

"_I pick the snow one."_

"_Well then," Bakura replied in an eerily quiet voice, "why don't you order it?"_

_Unaffected by the albino's increasing loss of patience, Marik turned to face the green haired boy with a large smile on his face and his eyes sparkling in happiness._

"_Could I please have the – "_

"_Hold on," exclaimed the seller, "I am trying to tap into the unknown cosmic forces to predict your choice of flavour. Aha! You want Vanilla, am I correct?"_

"_Yes please."_

"_Strawberry," was the short order from the albino who was itching to leave._

_The boy handed the two their ice-creams and Bakura handed over the money. Immediately, the British teen turned and strode away, the young Egyptian following him after saying a quick thanks._

"_Very disappointing," teased Marik once he had caught up, "the great Thief King _paying _for something."_

_Bakura smirked at his companion, "I thought it would be nice to be honest in paying. It makes up for me stealing his wallet."_

"_But when did you have time to… never mind."_

_Bakura started to lick his ice-cream as they continued walking and Marik hesitantly followed his lead. As soon as he tasted it his trademark bright smile was back._

"_This is really good!"_

"_Told you," the taller teen gloated._

"_Thank you very much, Yukihito-Kura."_

"_Marik, I'm not a snowman."_

"_I beg to differ," was the confident reply._

"_Hmph. You're welcome, Sureibu-rik," this comment was of course accompanied by Bakura's usual smirk._

"_Maybe we should get out of the sun before you melt."_

"_Quit while you're ahead, short stuff. A head shorter than me, that is."_

"_Baka-Kura."_

**|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|**

Ryou was currently sitting in the staff room. It was the only place where he could avoid endless questions thrown at him by the students of Akita High who were curious about the new assistant teacher. Of course, the nice twin would always answer these questions, but today he needed to think and was in no mood to explain that white was his natural hair colour or whatever new question the students had come up with.

The assistant teacher could not, for the life of him, comprehend what would cause Marik to despise him as openly as he did. Ryou had never seen the boy before, yet the Egyptian seemed familiar with him from the first second they saw each other. The boy's actions hurt – someone as kind hearted as Ryou was not used to being disliked by anyone.

"Are you okay?"

Lost in his thoughts, Ryou hadn't even noticed that someone was sitting right beside him. Turning, he saw the woman who had just spoke to him. She had long brown hair and a delicate face. Her hazel eyes were filled with concern as she looked at the assistant teacher.

"It's nothing to worry about," replied the polite Touzouku, "I'm very sorry if I bothered you."

"Not at all," the woman said, "I hate seeing someone look so troubled. If you tell me what's wrong I'll do my best to help."

Ryou looked into her eyes and felt a sense of calm. There was something about the woman that drew him in, and he couldn't help answering her question.

"There's a student in one of my classes. Just seeing me seems to fill him with anger, but I've never seen him before. Today in class, instead of paying attention to what I was teaching, he drew a picture of me being killed! I just… I don't know what to do."

The brunette thought about it. She could tell that the young man was really upset by this, and she really wanted to help him.

"First," she asked, "could you please tell me your name?"

The albino's eyes immediately widened and a look of horror came over his face.

"I'm so sorry! I'm not normally so rude," he pleaded, "please forgive me. My name is Ryou Touzouku, and I'm Mai Valentine's assistant teacher for the rest of the year. I assure you, I normally have much better manners."

"It's very nice to meet you," was the reply, "My name is Serenity Wheeler, and I'm the swimming coach. I should have introduced myself earlier, so I think we're even now."

"It's very nice to meet you too," Ryou said, a small smile crossing his pale face.

"Now," Serenity said, "about your problem. Have you tried talking to the student?"

"No, I honestly doubt he'd listen if I did. He hates me so much… It's normally the other way around; I'm supposed to be the more likeable twin."

"Twin?"

"Oh, yes. I have an identical twin brother called Bakura. I suppose you could say he's the evil twin. Honestly, it's a wonder he isn't in jail yet, with the amount of people he's screwed over."

Serenity's eyes flashed with excitement and she suddenly sat up straight, leaning closer to the assistant teacher.

"Maybe he doesn't hate you," she exclaimed, "it could be your brother he hates! If you're identical twins, looking at you would make him angry if he hated Bakura! You should ask your brother if he knows him."

"But to have made him hate me that much? We've only been here a few weeks, not even Bakura could… Actually, Bakura's the one person who could make someone hate them that much in that amount of time. That's probably exactly the problem. I care about my brother, but honestly he can be such a pain sometimes!"

The brunette softly chuckled, a new warmth coming into her eyes.

"I understand completely," she replied, "I have a younger brother. He's fiercely loyal but a bit of a goof ball. I haven't seen him in years, since we were separated when our parents divorced."

"I'm so sorry," the albino spoke, "it was inconsiderate of me to complain about my brother when you don't even get to see yours."

"You don't need to be sorry," Serenity assured, "he's actually coming to visit soon."

Just then, the bell rang and all the teachers in the room stood up as they prepared to go to their classes. Serenity flashed Ryou a brilliant smile before walking off in the other direction.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she called over her shoulder.

The albino watched her leave, a large smile on his face. For the rest of the day, all he could think about was the swim coach with the kind heart and the beautiful smile.

**|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|**

Bakura knocked on the door of the house. He was perfectly on time, as any fake gentleman planning to rob a house should be. A second after he'd knocked the door flew open to reveal Isis standing there with a look of pure joy on her face.

She greeted him warmly and invited him in. A smirk crossed his face as he made note of where the most valuable items were stored.

"Dinner should be ready in a few minutes," she informed him, "so please make yourself at home. My older brother had to work, so he'll be unable to join us."

"How unfortunate," Bakura replied, "hopefully I'll get to meet him some other time. Dinner smells lovely, I can't wait."

Isis seemed flustered by the British man as she went back to her cooking. The thief continued to observe the house quietly, looking for any hidden vaults. A few minutes later his search was interrupted by the Egyptian woman informing him that dinner was ready.

When he entered the kitchen, Isis was on the phone. She said farewell and turned to Bakura with an apologetic expression on her face.

"That was my brother. He left some of his important files at home, so I need to go deliver them to him. I promise it won't take too long, you can stay here and eat if you'd like. I'm so sorry."

"Really, it's fine," assured Bakura, "please do what you need to. Don't mind me; I'll be fine on my own until you return."

"Thank you for being so understanding! I won't take long."

Isis rushed to the foot of the stairs and called out, "Brother! I have to go out for a few minutes, please come and keep our guest company!"

"Frig' off," came the reply from upstairs.

"I mean it!" The Egyptian woman shouted before exiting the house.

There was silence for a moment before Bakura heard the footsteps of someone coming down the stairs. He turned his head to look at the newcomer and froze.

Before him stood a young man who was roughly the same height as him. His sandy blonde hair framed his tanned face and his violet eyes were lined with Kohl markings. The black tank top he was wearing showed his slim figure but also highlighted his muscles. Bakura found himself lost in the violet eyes that were open wide in shock. Though he had grown up a lot over the past few years, there was no mistaking who the handsome young man was.

"Marik!"

"Bakura?"

**|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|**

**That's the end of chapter four! Am I mean for ending the chapter there? Sorry!**

**Note: In Japanese, 'yuki' means snow and 'hito' means man so I'm going to assume that Yukihito means snowman. 'Sureibu' means slave or servant.**

**People seem to like the flashbacks, so I'm going to keep adding a couple every chapter. If there are any flashbacks you want to see, feel free to send me a request and I'll definitely include it.**

**Thank you very much for taking the time to read my story **

**See you next chapter! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Much love to FanGirl16, SerenePanic, M169, wolfairer, NightWitch1312, Elle Seren and Artemis Nightray for reviewing the last chapter.**

**Also much love to the amazing Miss Macabre Grey for reviewing via PM.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!**

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**Chapter Five: The First Step**

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There was silence after the two of them had called each other's names. Tension filled the room as neither of the two former friends knew what to do. Tentatively, the albino took a step towards the blonde; however the movement snapped Marik out of his shocked state and he took off running back up the stairs. The British man ran after him and just managed to catch the door before Marik could slam it shut. Stepping into the Egyptian's room, Bakura closed the door behind him and turned to face his past companion. The teen was standing in front of his bed, glaring at the intruder in his room.

"Marik I –"

"No! Don't talk to me! Leave me alone!"

Desperation filled the albino's voice as he tried to reason with the teen.

"Please," he practically begged, "hear me out."

"You don't deserve it! I don't even want to look at you right now. Get out!"

Losing his patience, Bakura tackled the blonde and they both landed on the bed. The albino had his knees both sides of the boy's stomach; his right hand held Marik's wrists together above his head and his left hand covered the Egyptians mouth.

Ignoring the glare coming from the violet eyes of the boy pinned under him, Bakura began to explain himself.

"My mother and sister died in a car accident and my father came to pick us up straight away. I didn't have your number, address or email. I called up Domino High but they wouldn't give me your details. I know I broke my promise, but I didn't mean to."

The albino's heart was pounding in his chest as he slowly removed his hand from the tanned boys' mouth.

"Let go of me," Marik replied in a dull tone.

Cautiously, Bakura let go of the teen's hands and climbed off him. The room was once again filled with silence as the two sat opposite each other, their eyes connected. Suddenly, Marik lurched forward and started yelling, tears forming in his eyes. With each word he slammed his fists into the albino's chest.

"You… left… me… you… lied… to… me… you… broke… your… promise! I… hate… you… I…"

The Egyptian placed his clenched hands on Bakura's shoulders and rested his head against the older man's chest. Strong, pale arms wrapped around the blonde as Bakura clutched the teen close to his chest. Marik was now crying his sobs making his whole body shake while Bakura silently held him.

After a few minutes, the sobs had lessened and Marik was no longer shaking. The British man took this as a sign that he was able to talk.

"Do you really… hate me?" The quiet whisper held traces of the hurt that Bakura tried to hide.

"I could never hate you Bakura… I missed you."

Upon hearing these words the pale man held the blonde even tighter.

"I missed you too… I missed you so much. I promise I won't ever leave you again."

Marik pulled away from the man and looked up at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"I haven't forgiven you," he muttered, "not yet. You can't just waltz in and fix everything straight away. It hurt me when you left… a lot. That's not the sort of thing you can erase straight away."

"I know," was the reply, "but believe me when I tell you that I will do whatever it takes to earn your trust again."

There was so much confidence and determination in his words that Marik couldn't help but believe him.

**|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|**

Ishizu sat in the kitchen, her fingers tapping on the surface of the table. She had come back to an empty kitchen and when she went looking for her guest, she found him in a tight embrace with her younger brother. The Egyptian was fairly certain that her presence had gone unnoticed as she had opened the door without knocking and immediately slipped out.

The brunette didn't know what to think about what she had seen. Nor did she have any idea how to approach the issue. After twenty minutes, she still had yet to come up with a plan of action.

"Hey Ishizu."

The woman had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed her brother walk into the kitchen. She couldn't help but notice that he was alone and was compelled to ask.

"Where's Bakura?"

"He left."

"Impossible. I would have heard him walk down the hall."

"No you wouldn't have," was the amused reply, "that's just the way 'Kura is."

"How exactly would you know that?"

"Bakura and I both went to the same school in Domino City," Marik answered, a tight smile on his face.

The Egyptian woman wanted to question her brother more, but as it was getting late she decided to let it slide for now.

"Very well, now go to bed."

The youngest Ishtar was surprised that he had been let off the hook so easily, yet he obeyed his sister and went back upstairs.

**|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|_...-***-…_|**

**The Next Day**

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Something was different in Akita High. Ryou had noticed it as soon as he'd entered the school. The girls were all clustered around giggling and whispering to each other. None of the other teachers knew what was going on – this behaviour was usually only seen leading up to a dance or when a particularly juicy rumour spread around the school.

Normally when the student teacher walked into his classroom everyone was sitting patiently at their desks, eager to listen to the albino. That was not the case today, as all of his students were crowded around the desk at the back of the classroom.

The bell rang and the students went to their desks. Finally, Ryou was able to see what had all the girls so excited.

It was Marik.

The young Egyptian was sitting at his desk just like yesterday, but there was something about him that wasn't the same. His violet eyes were brighter than they had previously been and his hair looked as if it was made of pure silk. He had a more confident posture and he seemed to exude charisma.

The blonde saw the student teacher looking at him and a bright smile crossed his face.

"Morning Touzouku-Sensei!" Marik called out, lifting his arm above his head in a casual wave.

It would be an understatement to say that Ryou was shocked by his student's sudden transformation, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise. The usually timid man felt like running outside and doing a victory dance. Through the rest of the class, there was only one thought in his head.

'_You don't know everything, Bakura.'_

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"_You don't know everything, Bakura."_

"_That may be true," was the condescending reply, "however what I do know is that you are predictable."_

_It was afternoon and both boys were still at the bus stop where they had been dropped off. From there they normally went in opposite directions, however today was an exception as they were locked in an argument._

"_I am not predictable."_

"_Sorry to break it to you, but you are."_

"_Marik Ishtar is not predictable," both teens said at the exact same time._

"_Lucky guess, Bakura." This sentence was also said simultaneously._

_The small blonde crossed his arms and pouted up at his pale friend._

"_Short stuff; are you really that upset that you're predictable?"_

"_It's just that… I don't want to be at a disadvantage," Marik quietly replied._

"_That doesn't make sense. You're automatically at a disadvantage because of your height."_

"_Very witty Baka-Kura," was the unamused reply from the Egyptian. "As much as I'd love to hear the rest of your insults I need to get home – I have a lot of work to catch up on."_

"_Aw that's so –"_

"_Shut it, 'Kura."_

"_Whatever," the British teen sighed, "I'll see you tomorrow."_

_With that both students turned and started walking their opposite directions. Bakura shook his head, confused at how reluctant he was to say goodbye to the tanned boy. Not a second after he'd done so, he became aware that he was being followed. The Thief King turned his head ever so slightly and used his peripheral vision to see that it was Marik following him. No doubt the young Egyptian was trying to prove he was as unpredictable as he claimed to be._

"_Nice try," the albino said as he turned around to face Marik, "but I'm afraid you're going to have to do a lot better than that to catch the Thief King off guard."_

_Without warning, the blonde launched himself at his tall friend and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. The Egyptian then took a few steps back and looked at Bakura, a cunning smirk on his tanned face. Said British teen was frozen in shock, his eyes and mouth both open wide. _

_Marik laughed as he walked away from his friend who had still yet to move. With his smirk still firmly in place, he turned back and called out one last thing to the pale teenager._

"_Who's predictable now, bitch."_

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It was lunch break and Ryou had gone to the staff room in hope of seeing the beautiful brunette again. He was so eager to see her that he'd almost forgotten about the text he'd received earlier in class. The young student teacher checked the message and rolled his eyes at the contents.

**To: Ryou**

**From: Your Sexy, Dashing & Brilliant Twin**

**Ryoooouuuuuu!**

**I took ur credit card. Buying a present for someone. Promise its not illegal this time. **

**Ur welcome,**

**Bakura**

Ryou jumped as he felt someone put their arm around his shoulders. He turned his head and saw Mai looking at him with a knowing smug on her face.

"Ms Wheeler is home sick today," she practically purred.

"Oh, um, that's very unfortunate for her," Ryou replied, "I hope she, um, gets well soon."

"Maybe you should pay her a visit, kid."

"I couldn't possibly intrude on her; she may not want visitors while she's sick."

"I'm sure she'd get better if you paid her a visit," Mai smugly insisted, "the power of love does incredible things."

The effect of those words was instantaneous. Ryou's pale cheeks turned red and he avoided eye contact with the teacher who was giving him a look that screamed 'I knew it.'

"T-that's completely ridiculous," stammered the embarrassed youth, "I'm s-sorry but I t-think you have the c-completely wrong idea."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me I left some work back in the classroom."

With that, the innocent Touzouku dashed away from his supervising teacher as fast as he could. Mai watched him go with an affection grin on her face.

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"Sister, you haven't been yourself lately."

Ishizu looked up at her adopter brother who had just entered the room. As much as she would have preferred to avoid the issue, the look on Rishid's face left no room for any excuses.

"I don't trust him," she replied.

"Who?"

"Bakura."

"You're still going on about him?"

Rishid had been filled in on the details of last night by both his siblings. He was wary of Bakura, but was willing to give him the benefit of doubt, considering how happy Marik had been since his old friend's return.

"Yes I'm still going on about him. Rishid, I'm concerned about Marik. I don't trust Bakura at all and I don't want my brother hanging around that sort of person."

"Sister, I think you need to trust Marik," Rishid reasoned, "he knows and trusts Bakura. Have you not seen how happy he is? Do you really want to be the one to take that away from him?"

The Egyptian woman angrily rose to her feet and looked her brother straight in the eye. Her hands were clenched in fists at her sides and she held herself high and confident.

"I am thinking of Marik! I want only to make my brother happy!"

"That's complete bullshit, and you know it. You need to stop holding the events of the past against Marik and do what is truly best for him."

"I know what's best for him."

Rishid shook his head and looked at his sister with sadness in his eyes.

"You're wrong."

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"_You're wrong!"_

_Pegasus was shocked by the outburst of the young Egyptian teen who had just stormed into his office. _

"_Get out of here," whispered the pale boy who was seated opposite the Principal._

"_You can't expel Bakura! He didn't do it! It's not fair!"_

"_Eavesdropping were we, Marik-boy? Well I'm sorry but rules are rules. Bakura-boy was well aware that the next time he was sent to my office, he would be expelled."_

"_It wasn't Bakura who trashed the classroom! Joey Wheeler wanted revenge because Bakura put superglue in the mascot costume so Joey was forced to be dressed as a dog for a whole day! He wanted Bakura expelled, so he messed up the classroom and got Tristan Taylor to pretend to be a witness! I know because they told the rest of the group! So you can't get rid of Bakura!"_

_Marik was now panting and glaring at the principal who was observing the tanned boy with curiosity. The British teen was speechless as he looked up at his small friend._

"_Marik-boy, you do realise that you've just gotten your friends in a whole heap of trouble?"_

"_Yes," was the firm reply, "I know."_

"_So you'll turn in your own friends to protect Bakura-boy? Very touching, but I'd hardly consider Bakura-boy someone worth that kind of effort. It's really only a matter of time before he finds himself back in my office over another offense."_

_Bakura shot Pegasus a furious glare, although he was internally scared witless. Sure, Marik knew of the Thief Kings reputation, but the blonde didn't know the truth of how terrifying Bakura was to the other students of Domino High. The British teen was worried that if his young friend found out the truth, the Egyptian would no longer want anything to do with him. _

"_You shut the hell up! You don't know him like I do, so don't you dare talk about him like that!"_

_All occupants of the room were surprised by yet another outburst from the usual shy and cheerful student. _

"_You dare speak to the Principal like that, Marik-boy?"_

"_Yes, and I'll do the same to anyone who says bad things about Bakura," the young boy confidently declared._

"_Very well, you are both dismissed."_

_Both boys stood and silently left the room. The taller teen looked down at his friend, trademark smirk in place as he rested his hand on top of the blonde's head._

"_Well, well," he teased, "someone is certainly feisty today. I'm glad that you've managed to release all your frustration of being so short."_

"_I would like to point out that I just saved your sorry butt," was the mildly irritated reply._

"_That's just what friends do for each other," Bakura said with a wave of his hand, "it's not as if it's anything out of the ordinary."_

"_You finally admitted that we're friends," Marik practically sung, looking at his friend with eyes full of happiness._

_The older teen rolled his eyes and removed his hand from the blonde hair._

"_You're delusional," he said as he walked off, a small smile on his pale face._

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The man didn't react as the door opened. He'd learn long ago that nothing interesting happened in this place. The people were as bland as the pale walls of his room, the only difference being that the walls didn't attempt to talk to him.

She was no different, the nurse who had walked in to inform him of his release. She was nothing more than a tool, easily manipulated. A shallow person who would do anything for someone attractive. Luckily for him, attractive was an understatement. He almost pitied her for her stupidity, but she was not worth the effort.

Fooling people was no challenge to him. How easy it was to act as if you had changed. After all, five years was certainly a long time. Acting like a model citizen grew tiring, but it was necessary in order to achieve his goals.

He followed the nurse through the hallways to the reception. He stood silently as all of the legal work was taken care of. There was no reaction as she said farewell. Her pleasantries meant nothing to him.

He knew where he was going. The information was supplied to him by the shallow nurse. He was unsure of what he was going to do when he arrived at his destination, but he was sure it would come to him. He hadn't waited all this time to let an opportunity like this go to waste.

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**A/N: The end might be a bit confusing, but I'm sure most of you will understand who the man is and what his situation is.**

**Remember, if there's a flashback you want to see feel free to suggest it and I'll try to fit it in.**

**Thank you very much for taking the time to read my story **

**See you next time!**


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